Utah State University chief joins other universities in call to close 'innovation deficit'

I guess the high salaried Presidents aren't earning enough!! Colleges and
Universities long ago forgot their true mission of education and now focus
solely on R & D and football revenue. Most classes are taught by Teachers
Assistants who are only a few years older than the students they teach, while
the Professors write grant requests for research on the mating habits of the
snail darters. The true innovators these days are those who broke out of the
confines of a University education, i.e. Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Paul Allen,
and Bill Gates.

My2CentsTaylorsville, UT

Aug. 1, 2013 7:12 a.m.

Innovation funding is something best left to groups who really do research and
development for the good of the public and governmnet. The idea that they expect
to government to pay them R&D funds and they retain title and possession of
patents and data is not something we should be funding.

The schools
are making a killing on overpopulation of students in their courses and student
loans financial and that should be more than enough for their R&D innovation
studies. Dropping governemnt funding to dead weight economic expenses that have
no value or service to the community or country.

The economy is in
despair, no money, no future, and no industry resulting from education puts this
cost to government as minimal and needless as an economic investment. They are
making a killing on students an loans and that is their motivation and purpose
to exist, increase knowledge, but they have failed to meet that standard and
have turned education into an industry giant that produces nothing for the
economy but debt.

Dreams and america is dieing because of the
education control boards that lost their souls to the power of greed for money.

Baron ScarpiaLogan, UT

July 31, 2013 8:09 p.m.

Universities used to enjoy strong state financial support, but that changed in
the 1980s.

Universities, unfortunately, haven't positioned
themselves well since then. Instead of being viewed as economic engines (for
innovative technologies and education), universities are increasingly viewed
with scorn by legislatures and the public. Universities are seen as bastions of
liberalism and exoteric research, written for academic elites rather than to
benefit the general public and taxpayers (who ultimately pay faculty salaries).

Publishing in "elite" journals can take years, and most
elite journals have readerships of only a few thousand readers (typically other
academics), resulting in a costly process that legislators and the public
don't understand, and increasingly don't want to support. Indeed,
academic journals have excessively expensive paywalls online, inhibiting
taxpayer access (even though they've paid for it!).

Sadly,
educating students takes a back seat to research, and universities seek ways to
shield the "best researchers" from teaching.

All this must
change. Research MUST be relevant and beneficial to society. Taxpayers need to
see the value of universities in terms of new technologies and students getting
the training to be competitive in the 21st century.

BadgerbadgerMurray, UT

July 31, 2013 5:35 p.m.

This is one of the things we will continue to fall behind on because
entitlements are eating up the whole budget. On top of that, the economy is not
growing fast enough to keep up with need. Taxing at higher rates will slow the
economy, giving at best a net zero result.

Rather than running down
the socialist road, we need leaders who know how to spur the economy so there
are more earners producing more products and technology, and especially energy,
who can contribute to the tax roles. Then we can support education and
innovation for the future.

We are currently on a spiral down. I just
hope it isn't a death spiral.